Wireless Pet Barrier using RFID

Abstract

A method of using radio frequency identification (RFID), in particular ultra high frequency (UHF) RFID, is described, which keeps pets from accessing forbidden areas. The pet wears a device which is preferably powered by the animal's own activity, converted to electrical power by a motion harvesting system to recharge a battery. The device uses an RFID reader to detect and identify RFID tags placed at boundaries of areas to which the pet is forbidden to enter, and sets off an alarm to warn the pet if it is approaching such an area. Because the RFID tags are individually identifiable, the forbidden area alarm can be configured to the pet, allowing use in a multiple-pet household.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims one or more inventions which were disclosed in Provisional Application No. 61 / 633,629, filed Feb. 15, 2012, entitled “RFID Wireless Pet Barrier”. The benefit under 35 USC §119(e) of the United States provisional application is hereby claimed, and the aforementioned application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The invention pertains to the field of animal training. More particularly, the invention pertains to training animals to remain in or avoid a selected area using wireless alarm devices.[0004]2. Description of Related Art[0005]Over 30 million homes in the United States have house pets such as cats, dogs, rabbits or ferrets which are permitted access to some or all of the house. Worldwide, that number is in the hundreds of millions. A typical problem with having a house pet live in your home is that there are certain areas of the home the owner ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a way to use RFID to keep pets from getting into areas they are not allowed. The device is powered by the pet's own activity and uses an RFID reader to detect and identify RFID tags placed at boundaries of forbidden areas. The pet is warned if it approaches the area, and the method works for multiple pets in a household.

Problems solved by technology

A typical problem with having a house pet live in your home is that there are certain areas of the home the owner does not want the animal to enter.

The area may be a danger to the pet or the pet may not be fully trained and can soil an expensive rug or couch.

A further reason may be that the pet can inadvertently damage a display or piece of furniture.

However, in a house with an “open landscape” interior architecture, where one room flows into another with few dividing walls, this approach does not work well.

This makes the pet uncomfortable and could make it leave the area.

A drawback to this approach is the pet needs to come into the vicinity of the device to be detected.

Also, differentiating human motion from animal motion is difficult and the ultrasonic alarm can be on for an extended amount of time, so that the pet becomes accustomed to the sound, making the pet think that the sound is part of its environment rather than a warning.

This prevents any learning about acceptable areas and unacceptable areas where the pet can venture.

A problem with these approaches is that the ultrasonic noise must be loud enough to prevent the pet from entering and the receiver is always a distance away from the pet.

Using the shock treatment can be considered cruel to the pet, but if the shock is not strong enough to be a deterrent than it could be totally ineffectual.

Another problem is that the transmitter in the pet's collar must be transmitting at all times and requires power from rechargeable or expendable batteries.

If the batteries are not changed or recharged often, the device will not reinforce the pet's behavior and could become useless.

A further problem with all of these devices is that there is no differentiation between pets in a multi-pet household.

This system has the same drawbacks of the systems which have the pet carrying a transmitter, as well as requiring the entire area to be surrounded by the “fence” wire.

In the typical outdoor installation, the wire can be buried, but it could be problematic to conceal the wire within a home.

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